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| SPOTLIGHT | | Wild
and naughty beaches and jungle, Wildlife,natural heritage and sun-kissed islands.
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Dakak Park Beach Resort is located on the sunny white beachfacing the exotic turquoise Sulu Sea. The 750 meter private beach is blanketed with purepowdery white sand. Natural spring water and tumbling waterfalls feed the resort's twopools, whilst the ultimate hideaway is provided at a private open-air jacuzzi where youcan relax in the sauna and whirlpool amidst an atmosphere of blissful solitary refinement.
Dakak – a private beach that spans about 750 meters long the Sulu Sea. The beach also has great white sands that can be compared to powder. The pool’s water comes from the spring water and the waterfalls that are on the area.
The very popular Dakak Beach is most known for its beautfiully shaped cove and powdery white sand, and as a diving mecca in Mindanao. Pristine blue waters, excellent dive sites with an abundance of coral reefs, and a magnificent sunset horizon characterize this tropical eden. Dakak Park and Beach Resort boasts 15 hectares of wooded land, a natural reservoir for native plants and animals, and a 750-meter private white-sand beach.
Nestled on the tip of Northern Zamboanga, Dakak faces the Sulu Sea in the west and is surrounded by mountains on its east side. North of Dakak are Negros, Cebu and Bohol. To its south is the Mindanao mainland with Borneo and Sarawak beyond the Celebes Sea. Conveniently encircled by all these large island, Dakak tactfully evades the typhoon belt, making it the perfect all-season destination.
Zamboanga del Norte today is equally famous for Dakak Beach, the province’s leading natural attraction. The very popular Dakak Beach is most known for its beautifully shaped cove and powdery white sand, and as a diving mecca in Mindanao. Perfect blue waters, tremendous dive sites with an wealth of coral reefs, and a splendid sunset horizon distinguish this tropical Eden. Dakak Park and Beach Resort boasts 15 hectares of wooded land, a natural reservoir for native plants and animals, and a 750-meter private white-sand beach
In Dipolog which is about 2 hours by air from Manila, you will enjoy the beauty of Dakak where you can discover coral reefs while you scuba dive in astonishing clear waters. It also boasts of fine white sand and surrounded by glamorous flowers and coconut palms.
Diving in Dakak is best in the months of March until September.
Dakak dive sites in the beach resort provide a variety of environment from gradual slopes to coral thickets, vertical walls and caves. Marine life is assorted. Some spots are thick with soft coral growth and huge basket sponges, others with schools of jacks, surgeons, and small reef inhabitant.
How to Get There:
By Air: Phililppines flies five times a week to Dipolog City from Manila while orther connections from the provinces may be made vi Cebu’s Mactan International Airport. Asian Spirit also offers a daily connecting flight to Dipolog from Cebu.
Flights from Manila take 65 minutes while from Cebu it take a mere 45 minutes. From Cebu, you may take the fast ferry to Dapitan City.
The flight from Manila is 70 minutes while the fast ferry from Cebu takes 4 hours. |
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Top Beaches |  |
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 White Beach, Boracay Island |
A tranquil atmosphere - tho' quite busy - and friendly locals. The sand is exceptionally white, soft, never gets hot and stretches for 3 miles.
There is a huge variety of small hotels, restaurants and bars offering cosmopolitan cuisine just off the beach, relatively cheap and comfortable. Although rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world, recent tourism expansion has lead to some environmental concerns.
There is no coral off White Beach, though plenty of dive boats will take you to good dive sites. Windsurfing months are Nov-April, best Dec-Feb.
The best months are Jan-May, OK June- Sept [with some rain], but April and May are Philippine school holidays and the place gets noisy and crowded then. Don't consider Oct-Nov [windy, possibly grey and wet].
Fly from Manila to neighbouring Panay island, then 20 mins by banca [boat]. |
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| Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines | Despite its outstanding natural beauty, Palawan's 1,770 islands have been one of the least developed holiday destinations in Southeast Asia [apart from the famous El Nido Resorts].
So far the lack of commercialism has made Palawan very special, but it is becoming more popular particularly for international divers, as well as adventurers.
The ideal place for sun seekers and snorkellers is Honda Bay, which has several islets including Cannon Island, Bat Island and Starfish Island, with coral reefs breaking crystal clear water onto empty, fine white sand beaches. Arreceffi Island contains the luxury Dos Palmas Resort, while lesser accommodation can be found on other islands, or stay at Puerto Princesa and take a half hour boat trip to your favourite deserted beach.
Palawan also offers the Philippines' best dive spot at the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, a World Heritage Site. Dive boats operate from March to May and can be arranged at Puerto Princesa, Palawan's capital. The city also offers all sorts of jungle eco-hikes and an 8.2 km underground river trip. Best Dec-May. Possible heavy rains June- November, but not necessarily. | |
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| Malapascua Island, Cebu
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This tiny island, situated at the northeast tip of Cebu Island, is relatively new to the international market, but already rates highly on the the list of world's best beaches - some say it is the new Boracay.
This has also become a major dive centre, famous for the crowds of thresher sharks using the marine highway between Cebu and Leyte islands. Driest Feb-May, but OK the rest of the year too with mostly short spells of rain. Worst Oct-Dec. | | |
| Bantayan Island, Cebu |
| Bantayan island, 15km from the northern tip of Cebu is well-known for its powder white sands and crystal clear water, especially along the southwest coast. It is a low-key, laid-back resort with friendly locals. The beaches are considered as some of the most inviting resorts, particularly around Santa Fe. If you looking for a virgin paradise, try nearby Puo Island. Driest Feb-May, but OK the rest of the year too with mostly short spells of rain. Worst Oct-Dec. |
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| Muelle Bay, Puerto Galera, Mindoro Island |
Puerto Galera is an ideal place to do island-hopping from Luzon or a place to laze on pristine white sands and clear, warm water. The most popular beaches for swimming are White beach and Tamaraw Beach, while beaches near Sabang have best facilities for coral-cruising. For more tranquility try Big and Small Laguna Beaches. Puerto Galera also offers excellent inland nature walks. Best Nov-June. OK July-Oct [an occasional typhoon will bring rain/wind/rough seas for 2 or 3 days]. | | |
| Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island |
Catanduanes Island lies in the Pacific Ocean just off Luzon and is one of the Philippines' major surf venues. Puraran Beach's white sand is very appealing, but currents can be dangerous in the surfing season [October].
There are other white sandy beaches, for instance Pamangal Beach near San Andres town or Igang Beach. Note that this is one of the wettest provinces of the country. Best April-June. Worst Nov-January. |
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| Alona Beach, Panglao Island, Bohol |
Bohol, just across from Cebu, is best-known for its curiously bumpy Chocolate Hills landscape. It is becoming more popular as the region's best beach destination, with superb white sand and some world class diving sites, tho' mostly on the adjacent
little island of Panglao.
The 800m long, picturesque Alona Beach, with plenty of accommodation, restaurants and dive centres, is for action men [and women], though it has sea grass that conceals sea urchins, so sand shoes are useful.
The 2km of unspoiled Doljo Beach is a more secluded, less developed, shallow water option, while Cabilao Island on the west coast of Bohol has some splendid diving sites and exceptionally clear water.
And don't forget a trip to see the 1,000 30m high chocolate hills in Bohol's centre! The best time is indefinable; it may rain briefly every day, it may not... A typhoon may happen along...but March-May is likely to be driest if you must have a guesstimate. |
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